The team met up with us before we left our hideaway. Frenchie took the floor to tell us what was found during his extensive sweep of all three of our homes- Billy's apartment, my former house, and our new house.

"They had it rigged with so many hidden bugs that I almost felt impressed." He was grimacing so I knew he didn't actually get to the point where he was willing to give Vought credit for their tenacity. "We found them in places that most people would never think to place them." His eyes shifted to Billy's and his lips thinned. "Kimiko had fun destroying them."

I looked at the young woman and saw her smirk turn into a full blown smile. At least someone had fun while I was being poked and prodded. Looking back at Frenchie as he finished telling Billy that the houses and apartment were cleared, while the new house was also protected against further tampering, I sighed.

"What's wrong, Ronnie?" MM was leaning against the wall across from where I was seated and he'd been watching me from the moment he arrived. "You look healed, is there something-"

"I'm fine," I waved away his concern over my physical condition. "It's just-" I let my head fall back against the chair I was seated in. "Even if we lock down Vought on their dirtiest deeds, even if we nail Homelander for his nefarious bullshit, I have to wonder how the fuck do we put away a supe?"

All eyes were on me, and I realized no one had considered this problem. Mallory was in meetings, with Neuman and other lawmakers and wheel greasers, but I knew that in the end the grunt work would be up to the people in the room with me. And the issue that I raised was a REAL one. If we found a way to prove that Homelander did any of the horrible shit we KNEW he did, how do you lock him down? Even with his zinc 'allergy', even with the very few vulnerabilities, was it possible to actually imprison a supe like him?

"We don't lock 'em up," Billy answered, like I knew he would, but I groaned in response. "Ronnie, you and I both know, the only answer to the equation is-"

"Mass extinction?" I shook my head. "No one is gonna OK that, Billy." He was staring at me like I was suddenly speaking Greek, which I actually think he knew so that comparison didn't fly, but sue me. "You know working within the fucking Office with me means you have to constrain and constrict." I sighed. "While I'm as tempted as you to shove a brick of C4 all the way up Homelander's anal cavity, we're not going to get the goahead from my superiors."

"Then we go off the books," he shrugged and I shook my head again. For fuck's sake, I love the man, but he was ridiculous. "Ronnie, an end is an end, and you and I both know it's gonna be final."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," MM cut in, seeing the two of us gearing up for an argument or a debate at the very least. "First things first, we have to see if Ronnie's right about the other testing sites. If she is and Vought took a huge chunk out of the Nazi playbook, then we have another search and document, if not destroy mission on our hands."

"Not to mention, we still have no idea who the head popper is," Frenchie added, seeing that Billy was ready to jump back into why we should kill all supes and move on after mode. "We have plenty to contend with without adding to our burden, oui?"

"Oui," I sighed in agreement.

MM was wrong. First things first, was moving day. Or at least, moving in day. My mom had hired movers to pack everything up after Frenchie and MM went over the contents of our homes with a fine tooth comb and then unpack at our new house. All Billy and I really had to do was unlock the front door and go grocery shopping, which we learned was also taken care of when we entered the security code into Frenchie's security system before all hell could break loose.

The fridge was stocked, as was the freezer, and a note was propped up on the island in the kitchen from my parents telling us to enjoy our 'honeymoon' break before checking in with them. Billy was pressed against me before I finished reading the signature my mom scribbled and I had to laugh as his mouth touched the nape of my neck.

"You know, she said 'honeymoon' in jest," I teased, as he scooped me into his arms and started for the stairs.

"Consider it practice," he growled, and then he showed me just how fucking serious he took practice.

We ate dinner on the porch, in the hanging bed while the sounds of crickets sang around us. Mosquito netting kept us from being eaten alive, an addition that had my mom's name written all over it, and I swore I'd buy her something pretty for it when Billy pushed our empty plates aside and was hovering over me as the moon glowed down and the lightning bugs flickered across the lawn.

It was tempting to ignore the real world and our responsibilities and we did, for a weekend. Monday came and we got up, got a shower together and got dressed, like we had once upon a time, so long ago it seemed. In the car together, down the long driveway, and on a new commute we went ready to show the world-and Vought and Homelander that it would take a hell of a lot more than what they threw at us to stop us.

"Dr. Taylor. Mr. Butcher." Anthony was beaming when we used our badges to enter the building. "It's SO good to see you. You look wonderful, Doctor."

"Thank you, Anthony." I smiled, taking a pile of files and mail that would look daunting if I didn't already know that I probably knew everything in it already. "Today is going to be a catch up day, no appointments, but if anyone needs to see me tell them to ring first, please."

He agreed, telling us both how happy he was to see us and we moved down the hallway toward my office. "I should warn you," Billy said, as I was reaching out to swipe my badge and open the door. "The carpet, where you-" Right, hemorrhage, blood everywhere. "They hadn't had a chance to remove and replace it before I came with you."

"It's fine, Billy." I was forewarned, but I still stiffened my spine and steadied my will. Opening the door my eyes focused on where I knew I went down and I saw nothing. No stain, no mark. "They must have-"

"New carpet, Dr. Taylor," we turned to see Joseph. "I put a request in, after Mr. Butcher took time to be at your bedside." He was blushing, but was managing to look us in the face. "I wanted your office to be ready when you both returned."

"Thanks, Joe," Billy smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, nearly causing him to fall over from the force. "Sorry bout that."

"You're welcome, sir." He looked at me and smiled. "We're happy you're back, Dr. Taylor. The office isn't quite the same without you."

"Thank you, Joseph." A few more pleasantries and he went back to work and I was shaking my head at the welcome I was getting. "Wow, who knew they'd miss me?"

"Me," Billy offered, once we were inside with the door closed. He took the files and mail from my hands and tossed it onto my desk and then pulled me to him. Tipping my face up with his thumb under my chin, he smiled down at me. "I knew they'd miss you because they asked me about you constantly. Daily even. You don't know how many people you touch, Ronnie." He kissed me, slow and sweet, so unlike anything anyone ever equated with William "Billy" Butcher that it made my heart skip, and I was so fucking happy that I wasn't hooked up to a machine that let the world know it, only me and him knew, like it was supposed to be.